40,000 Musicians tell Brown to increase copyright term

Musicians have today delivered a video message to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling on the Government to give them an increased copyright term.

The video message was filmed at PPL’s recent Annual Performer Meeting at Abbey Road Studios and is on behalf of 40,000 performers who have signed a petition in support of extending the copyright term from the current 50 to 95 years.

The video features 28 musicians, who have performed on thousands of recordings between them over the past 50 years - with, among others, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Robbie Williams.

The move is another stage of an ongoing campaign to persuade the UK Government to support term extension for performers: Brown and his colleagues are presently still pushing the recommendation of the Gowers Review, which does not support increasing protection.

It also comes at a critical stage of the debate as the draft European Copyright Term Directive is currently working its way through the European Parliament and European Council and has the support of the French and German governments, as well as numerous MEPs.

"British session musicians are the finest in the world, the absolute finest," said Derek Wadsworth who has worked on tracks for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones. "The amount of revenue that’s been brought into this country by these people is quite staggering. Now we require the government to help us out a little bit and show perhaps a bit of appreciation. Instead they choose to kick us in the face and ignore our campaign to extend the copyright for these people and their families."

“This government prides itself on its sense of fairness,” said Tom McGuinness of Manfred Mann. “And put bluntly the current situation regarding performers' rights simply isn't fair. That's why we are demanding action. This campaign isn't just about me. It's about 40,000 performers, most of whom are completely unknown, all of whom have a right to earn from their creative works.”

The move follows a recent letter sent to Brown by PPL performer members asking for an improved copyright term.